Injuries

June is just around the corner. I've got a jar of sun tea on the wall in the backyard. This means that the heat is in effect. This also means that any trail runs will have to occurr in the mountains. I haven't been there since December. I'll need to go check things out soon to see how much snow is still in effect. I'm pretty sure I want to run to the summit of Mt. Charleston and back before I leave here. That will be a daunting 16 mile run for me. 4000 feet of elevation gain peaking just below 12 thousand feet.

This month I upped my workout schedule by adding cycling. Some of it road, some of it off road. My legs actually felt energized after an hour of cycling and an hour of running. Something tells me I will have to get in a pool soon. Near the end of the month I was pretty sure I could reach 100 miles of cycling and running, but last week my right quad was none too happy. I had to take a few days off with my thigh wrapped and nsaid consumption. So I'm going to fall short of my 100/100 which is a bit of a bummer for me. More like 94/80. I just have to remind myself of my overall effort this month and not get too caught up on random numbers.

Truth be told, it's not a surprise that my legs got pissed. If I convert the cycling load into a conservative running equivalent, and on top of that factor in speed work done prior to angry thigh? It's really no surprise. It's an ongoing learning experience to listen to your body and balance that with your experience and what the experts say is good advice. I can recall talking to an ultrarunner at the shoe shop one day, and he was saying that he's been running for 15 years and it can still be fuzzy as to when to push it or lay off. Risk versus reward rules that day perhaps.

I was recalling the injuries I've had over the past few years. I can't even remember if it was 08 or 09, but I thought, "I'm going to start getting in shape." I picked up my 3 yr old tennis shoes and headed out the door to run in my hilly Nebraska neighborhood. A day or so later, the bottom inside of my foot hurt like hell. Liz said congrats you have plantar fasciitis. I don't even remember how long I had it. I think I just quit for a while and later got new shoes. I feel for people that get that condition.

Next I decided to ride my bike again, because Omaha has the most awesome network of cycling trails. This time my left inside ankle burst into flames. I could barely walk. The doctors were stumped. I got an ankle brace and chalked it up to many years of ankle issues.

Next I was running on the snow with ill fitting snow shoes while pulling my daughter around on the sled. It didn't help that our backyard was at 30 degree incline. Hurt the top of my left foot somehow. This only lasted a few days though.

By March of 10 I'd been injury free for a while and was just begining to get my running groove on. I was also trying the 100 push up program found online. I found myself being inconsistent and being stuck in a rut, so I decided I would try some plyometric type push ups with clapping. I can't be certain because of delayed onset, but that combined with all the house work I was doing caused my impinged shoulder to develop. It's just over a year since I've had that and it's pretty much put to rest, but it will remind me from time to time in the strangest ways. Oh you want to pick up a pair of socks? Pooop! Pain shoots out from nowhere. Strange.

Of course there was the groin injury earlier this year in Feb. It was only a first level strain, but it still took 2 months to get back to normal. So hopefully my quads will be happier sooner rather than later. Should I rest today or run? Guess I'll decide that later in the day.